Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Donna C. Roper Research collection includes the research documents and publications of Dr. Donna C. Roper, prolific archaeologist who made major research contributions, particularly in the Central Plains region of North America. This collection is separated into six series. The first series, field of compliance project records, containing print and electronic copies of documents such as proposals, project correspondence, site survey forms, field notes, and maps of sites. The second series is research and interpretation records, containing preliminary and final reports, data records such as artifact catalogs and dating, photographs, unfinished or draft manuscripts, published works such as journal articles, and conference papers. Professional service records include graduate committee correspondence, published book reviews, nominations for National Historic Landmarks, recommendation letters, teaching records, etc. the fourth series is for personal records, containing vitae, awards, and other things such as personal correspondence and diplomas. The fifth series contains bound publications, such as bound archaeological journals and published reports. The sixth series are oversized maps that could not fit with the rest of the collection. An estimated 2000 slides and 500 print negatives are included in the second series with research records. The collection covers a temporal range from 1929 to 2015.

The acquisition and processing of the collection was made possible through an Historical Archives Program grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Inc. Creative Commons copyright license: Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Biographical Note

Donna C. Roper, professional archeologists, was born to Norman E. and Laura (Dietz) Roper in Oneonta, New York, June 20, 1947. She became involved with archaeology at Hartwich College in Oneona where she earned a B.A. in History with Departmanental Honors in 1968. She completed her Master's and Doctoral degrees, respectively, in Anthropology with an amphasis in archaeology at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1970 and the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 1975.

Donna Roper was a dedicated and prolific archaeologist. She directed projects in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, and other states. She held research positions at the American Archaeology Division of the University of Missouri and the Illinois State Museum in the1970s. In 1980 she joined Gilbert/Commonwealth Inc. of Jackson, Michigan as Senior Archaeologist and Project Manager, becoming a partner with Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group of Jackson, Michigan, in 1988.

Her projects for Comonwealth took her to Nebraska, where Donna developed a true love for the Great Plains. In 1991 she fulfilled her dream to live and work regularly in the reagion by moving to Manhattan, KS. She appreciated the environment, the town, and Kansas State University, where she became an avid fan of KSU woment's basketball. She served as Research Associate Professor with the Department of Socialology, Anthropology, and Social Work and also worked regularly as an independent researcher and consultant. In 20015 she also bracme adjunct research associate with the Archaeological Research Center at the University of Kansas.

Donna not only stayed active with regional archaeological research, but occasionally taught classes at KSU and KU. She also was an integral graduate committee member for nine Master's and Doctoral students of archaeology. She employed and influenced many students in the field and lab leading a number of successful careers in archaeology. Her curiocity, broad knowledge, and keen mind stimulated not only students, but her colleagues in the Plaines, Midwest, and beyond. She presented research in two edited books, as well as five book-length monographs, and numerous professional journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports. She was active with various regional professional organizations for which she often served in leadership roles.

Donna Roper regularly looked forward to professional meetings where she presented her research, caught up with colleagues, and vigorously debated ideas. She loved to share her knowledge and learn from others through public venues. She was invited regularly to share her insights with public groups in Kansas and Nebraska and always elicited valuable conversatons with others about the Native prehistory of this region. She also co-led public archaeology projects in Kansas though the Kansas Archaeological Training Program sponsored by the Kansas Anthropological Association and the Kansas Historical Society.

In 2015 Donna Roper was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the Plains Anthropological Society and the W. Duncan Strong Memorial Award presented by the Nebraska Association of Professional Archaeologists. Through these she joined a select group of renowned recipients marking axamplary contributions to her profession.

Processing Information:
The acquisition and processing of the collection was made possible through an Historical Archives Program grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Inc.

Folder 27: Review of "The Research Design for Archaeological Reconnaissance and Survey for Prehistoric Resources within the Ten Year Floodpod, Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir, Missouri" by Richard L. Taylor, 1980

Folder 28: Review of "Testing the Hypothesis of Paleo-Indian-Archaic Point Devolution" by Kenneth C. Reid, 1980